Muffled ore-converting apparatus.



A. M. BEAM.

MUFFLED ORE coNvERTlNG APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. I0. 19H.

im; MIIITI a A. M. BEAM.

MUFFLED ORE CGNVERTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.10. 1917.

Paternted Apr. 8, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A. NL BEAM.

MUFFLED ORE coNvERUNG APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. I0. I9I- Patented Apr. 8, 1919. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 NNI M V e I I rzte? 5U/@azion- UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

ARON M. BEAM, OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASVSIGNOR T0 THE AMERICAN CONTINUOUS RETORT COMPANY, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

MUFFLED ORE-CONVERTING APPARATUS.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 8, 1919.

Aore roasting and converting apparatus,

adapted to volatilize the deleterious elements of refractory ores.

Second: to provide a double unit muiiled ore converting and roasting apparatus in which two inclosed ore converting chambers or ovens a-re arranged one above the other, and are connected at their rear ends by a feed spout, means being provided for continuously moving ore from the forward end of the upper chamber to and through the said feed spout and along the lower chamber t0 a discharge hopper at its forward end,

- a continuous heat-conveying flue being arranged which extends beneath the lower chamber and between thelower and upper chambers, and oler thJ upper' chamber,vsaid flie connecting with a combustion chamber at one end of the apparatus and with a stack at its opposite nd,-th'e saidapparatus being adapted to cbnvert yrefractory 'ores' to a cyaniding and alsoto an fariialg'amatingV condition.

These vobjectsf` are accomplished by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which':

Figure 1 isa vertical longitudinal sec-- tional view o-f an ore converting apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal -sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the top of the lower unit being partly broken away.

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view-enlarged-through the fire box -end of the apparatus.

Fig., 4 is an enlarged horizontal sectional View through the rear portion of the apparatus.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

The numeral 1 indicates a Istructure preferably made of brick and comprising side and end walls and an arched roof, the structur@J being of suitable dimensions for the purpose required.

djacent'the front end wall 2 is a transverse lire wall 3, which is high enough to form between it and the end wall 2 an ash pit 4, and a fire box 5, the latter being roofed over with ireproof slabs 6. The ash pit 4 and fire box 5 open out through the side 7 of the structure, and are provided with doors 8 and 9, respectively, and grate bars 10 extend transversely across the bottom of the fire box and are supported at their rear ends upon a bar 11, secured kin the sidewall 12, and at their forward ends Aupon a metal frame 13, which fits in the side wall 7 and y to which the doors 8 and 9 are. hinged.

v'metal`plate, which extends from one side wall to the other, the side edges thereof being upturnedas shown. This bed rests at its forward end on the slabs 6"and is supported at intervals throughout its length by cross bars 16, and terminates a short distance from the rear wall 17. A second metal..

plate or ceiling' plate 18 is supportedbetween the side walls a suitable distance abovefthebed 15,.and these two plates 15 and 18, with the side walls, constitute the lower converting chamber or oven. This chamber is closed at its rear end by a plate A 19, which is spaced far enough'from the rear wall to provide a passage 20, which forms a" continuation ofthe flue 14. Thel forward end of the chsber is closed by doors Q1,

which permit. access to tht` chamber for any purpose. such as the removal and replacement of the bed or the removal of the scrapers to' be presently described. The chalnber is provided with an ore outlet chute 21% at its forward end, which extends up at an angle through the front wall, its upper end being flush with the level of the bed.

The upper converting chamber is constructed in the same manner as the lower chamber and comprises a bed or hearth 23, which is supported far enough above the ceiling plate 18 of the lower chamber, to provide a flue 21;'anda ceiling plate 25 is supported above the bed '.28 to form a chamber of the same dimensions as the lower chamber. The front end of this chamber is closed by a plate 26, which is spaced from the front wall to form a continuation '27 of the flue Q-L. and the tine. 27 opens into a flue '28, which is formed b v the ceiling plate 25, and the arched roof 3() of the structure, the flue 28 having an outlet stack 29? While the roof 30 of the structure is shown as of brick work, the same may be of sheet metal if desired. The rear end of the upper converting chamber is closed by a suitable door or cover 26A, which permits access to the chamber when required.

The rear ends of the upper and lower chambers are connected by a spout or chute 31, which extends through the flue 2-1, and as this spout is practicallyY the same width as the flue, and would therefore closecommunication between this flue and the flue 20, it is necessary to form late al flues 32 in the side walls, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 1, which permit the heated air passing up through the flue 20, to pass around the ends of the chute 31, and into the flue 24.

Thus, the flues 1l, 20, Q-l, 27, and 28, form a continuous passage from the fire box 5, to the stack 29, andconvey the heated air below the lower chamber, and between the two chambers and above the upper chamber, thus subjecting the ore in each chamber to heat from above and below simultaneously.

A feed hopper 33, supplies ore to the forward end of the upper chamber, the hopper having a spoilt which passes down through the arched roof of the structure and into the upper chamber, and the ore thus fed to the upper chamber, is carried back to and through the spout 3l, to the rear end of the lower chamber and thence forward to the outlet chute 22 in the following manner:

Along the sides of the chambers adjacent the ceiling plates 18 and 25, are secured tracks or slideways 3+. in the form of angle bars which extend substantially the length of the chambers, and upon the slideways of each chamber is supported the orel scraping mechanism which is arranged in the following manner:

Supported upon the slideways 31 of each chamber are cross bars 235. to which are se.- cured parallel longitudinal angle hars ilo, each pair of which terminat.` at their rear ends in right. angled portions which are again bent at right angles to provide parallel members I-lT and 3S respectively. which lie close together and extend out through the rear end ot' the structure. the members 2ST extending through an aperture in the. door 26A, while the members 38, exltend through an aperture in the adjacent end wall. The bars 36 of each pair, are. connected at suitable intervals, by rods 39, and upon each rod is pivotally suspended a pair of hanger arms 40, which extend nearly to the hearth or bed, the lower end portions of the arms in the upper chamber being inclined `slightly toward the rear end of tlie chamber, while the corresponding portio s of the arms in ,the lower chamber are inclined toward the forward end thereof, and to the inclined portions of each pair 'of oppositely disposed arms in each chamber, is secured a scraper 41, in the form of a thin metal blade or plate which extends the whole width of the hearth, as is most clearly shown b v Fig. 3, the upper scrapers being arranged to move the ore rearward, while the lower scrapers are arranged to move it forward.

The swinging connection of the arms 40 with the rods 39. and the inclination of the Scrapers, causes the Scrapers to slide back over the ore on the bed, during the inoperative or non-scraping movement of the scraping mechanisms, but on the reverse movement of the said mechanisms, thel scrapers engage and move the ore forward, and they are limited in their backward swinging movement by stops 40A on the arms 40, which engage the under edges of the bars 3G, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The two scraper mechanisms are reciprocated in unison and in the following manner:

The rearwardly extended portions 37 and 3S respectively, of the scraper-supporting bars 3G. may be connected in any preferred manner, but as illustrated in Fig. 1, they are connected by a triangular plate 4Q, the base portion of which is secured between members 3S, while its apex portion is secured between the members 37. .The lower end of the plate 42, terminates in lateral flanges -l-, which rest upon slideway portions of parallel, horizontal bars 4l, which are suitably connected at their inner ends to the adjacent end wall of the structure, while their outer ends are supported by bars .45, and braced against lateral movement by bars 4G, as shown.

Guide bars 47, are secured to the bars 1l, and act in conjunction with them to form guideways for the flanges 13, of the plate 42, as will be understood by reference to FigQ. l

Between the ends of the arms 38, is pv- ,130

otally secured the inner end of a connecting rod 4H. the outer end of which is connected to the crank portion of a shaft 49. which is mounted in bearings, 5() on the bars 44. and one end of this shaft carries a pulley 51. which is adapted to be belted to a power driven pulley, not shown. The scraper plates 41 are rigidly secured to the. arms 40, but in Figs. T and 8 I have illustrated a modification in the form of a scraper 52, which is pivotally connected to hanger arms 53, the scraper being provided with apertured ears 5I, which straddle the lower portion of the arm which is also apertured and a pivot. pin is passed through the apertures in the ears and arm. The scraper is slottedas shown at 56, to permit the scraper to tilt backward on its inoperative movement that portion of the arm below the pivot liniiting the forward tilting movement of the scraper to the position shown in Fig. 7,

and the scraper rocks by gravity into this position, after being tilted backward, asthe pivot pins are above the longitudinal center of the scraper. Air may be admitted to the lower chamber during the converting process, by means of a pipe 57, as shown in Fig. 1.

In operation a fire is started in the firebox 5 and the heated air takes the course around to converting chambers as indicated by the arrow, in Fig. 1, the slabs 6 preventing the forward portion of the hearth 15, from being subjected to the` intense heat from the fire box. Ore which has been reduced to the necessary degree of fneness is then fed to the hopper 33, and thence into the forward end of the upper chamber; the scrapers are then set in motion and the ore in this chamber is carried rearward intermittently as the upper Scrapers move rearward, until the ore in advance of the rearmost scraper, discharges through the spout 31, into the lower chamber directly in front of the rearmost scraper and the ore entering the lower chamber is car-v ried forward 'in the same manner until it discharges through the outlet hopper 22. During the rearward movement' of the ore over the bed 23, it is subjected to the heat from the flues 24 andl 28, and is delivered to the lower chamber in a very hot or partially roasted condition, and by the time it discharges from the lower bed, it is in a thoroughly roasted condition.

The improved ore roasting and converting aparatus above described, liberates the different metals in refractory ores, so that each `metal can be recovered by itself.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s:

1. In an apparatus of the character dcscribed, the combination with a pair of ovens arranged one above the other and means for applying heat to the under and upper side of each oven. said ovens heilig connected by a chute at. one end, of slideways on opposite sides of each oven, frames slidably mounted on said slideways and connected to move in unison, spaced rods carried by said frames, a pair of depending arms plvotally mounted on each rod, a scraper secured to each pair of arms. the Scrapers in one oven being oppositely inclined from those in the other oven, stops on said arms which engage the frames and prevent movement of the arms during the operative movement of the Scrapers, a t'eed hopper at the forward end of the upper oven, a discharge chute at the forward end of the lower oven, and means for reciprocating the frames..

2. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with ovens arranged one above the other and connected at one end, a continuous flue extending below the lower oven, between the two ovens and above the upper oven, and being connected at "one end with a combustion chamber, and with a stack at its other'end, of slideways on opposite sides of the ovens, cross bars mounted on the slideways, and longitudinal parallel barsl secured to the cross bars, the longitudinal bars in one oven being connected with those in the 4 other oven to move 1n unison, spaced rods@A `other set, stops for limiting the arms to a vertical position on their scraping movement, means for reciprocating the longitudinal bars whereby the scraping action of one set of scrapers is simultaneous with the non-scraping action of the other set, means for feeding ore to thefront Aend of the 'upper oven, and a discharge hopper at the front end of the lower oven.

In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a structure comprising side and end walls, and a roof, and having a combustion chamber at one end and a stack` at the other end, of plates eX- tending from .side wall to side wall to form a lower oven. the rear end of which is closed and is spaced from the rear end wall, plates extending from side wall to side wall to form an upper oven, thel forward end of which is closed and spaced from the adjacent end wall, a flue space being left below the lower oven between the two ovens and between the upper oven and the roof. said ovens being connected at their rear ends by a spout which extends through the separating flue, frames slidably mounted in each oven. having portions extending through the rear end wall of the structure, a plurality of pairs of oppositely arranged depending arms pivotally connect.- ed to said frames. a scraper blade connecting each pair of depending arms and disposed slightly above the bottom of the oven, the scraper arms on the forward movement of Scrapers in the upper oven being oppositely the scraper supporting frames. 10

'disposed from those in the lower oven, a In testimony whereof I afix my signature slideway, a bracket connecting the portions in presence of two Witnesses.

5 of the frames extending through the rear ARON M. BEAM.

wall, and mounted in said slideway, means Witnesses: Y for reciprocating said bracket, and stops for G. SARGENT ELLIOTT, limiting the swinging movement of the ELIZABETH SMITH. 

